Lack of Communication: Opal's Shielding of the Truth Strengthens Orvil's Curiosity

 In Tommy Orange’s There There, readers are introduced to Orvil Red Feather, a 14-year-old Native boy being raised by his great-aunt Opal along with his two younger brothers. Opal refuses to discuss their Native background, which makes Orvil want to learn about it even more. In her desire to shield the boys from the painful Native history, she only piques Orvil’s curiosity.

At the beginning, Orvil’s sneaking around to learn more about his heritage has no major impact. Since Opal will not tell him about their background because “”learning about your heritage is a privilege,”” he has to make these discoveries for himself (Orange 119). Orvil had to sneak into his great-aunt’s room to try on the regalia that she kept. He knew that he had to be secretive about it because “Opal had been openly against any of them doing anything Indian” (Orange 118). Instead of discussing why she did not want the boys to have any exposure to their heritage, she shut down any conversation that had to do with it. Over time, this curiosity builds enough that Orvil and the other boys sneak off to go to the powwow without telling Opal.

While Opal is a loving and protective guardian to the boys, she also does not try to get the boys to talk to her. She is focused on trying to prepare them for the real-world “because it will take more for them to succeed than someone who is not Native” (Orange 165). However, she does not communicate these things to her great-nephews in an effort to protect them, so they do not understand why she is “brief and direct,” only that they “are afraid of” her (Orange 165). 

There is a lack of communication between Opal and the boys, especially Orvil who is becoming more rebellious, that leads them to not understand where the other is coming from. The boys only see Opal as being “no-nonsense with them” but do not recognize her efforts to shield them from a painful history that readers were introduced to in the prologue of the novel. Opal only sees the boys as the children they are and believes in keeping “a close eye on your kids…keep them in line” (Orange 163) and not as mature enough to get to learn about their heritage. This lack of communication leads to a lot of misunderstanding between Opal and the boys.